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No. 119                                            

'Lonely this Christmas'


The Christmas 1974 number one was a song called 'Lonely this Christmas' by the pop group Mud. Its opening lines were: 'Try to imagine a house that's not a home; try to imagine a Christmas all alone. That's where I'll be, since you left me.'

When the song was performed on Top of the Pops, tons of fake snow was showered on the group which got in their mouths as they tried to sing. It was enjoyable Christmas fun.

But loneliness is a serious issue that many of us try to cope with over Christmas. It comes for different reasons: separation from family for those in the armed forces; people in hospital; prisoners serving time; people facing their first Christmas without a deceased loved one. Whatever the cause, many experience great emptiness and isolation.



The Great Loneliness


There is a spiritual loneliness that affects all of us, whether in company or not, which is the greatest of all. This aloneness is due to the fact that we're separated from God and out of relationship with Him. This rift is caused by our desire to get on without Him and reject His will. Christian writer Peter Clement says, "Sin is the greatest robber that this world will ever know." It robs us of peace and friendship with God, the thing we need most, yet which we are determined to rebuff.

The wonderful true message of Christmas is that God wants to draw close to you. He's come to us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, to end sin's loneliness and restore eternal friendship with Him! 'For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him', John's Gospel Ch 3 v 17, New International Version.


The Best Presence


Two Christmases ago a poster campaign showed a baby representing Jesus, wearing a yellow armband with the words 'Make Christmas His story.' It was prompted by the fact that all over the country local authorities, businesses and retail centres were trying to take the Christ out of Christmas. As Bishop Jonathan Gledhill put it, "They seem to want to make Christmas history - the Diocese of Lichfield wants to make Christmas His story."

Will you make this Christmas 'His story' and see Jesus Christ at the heart of it all? One Christmas slogan displayed on church notice-boards is: 'Jesus, the best Christmas Presence.' You may not receive many presents, but you can truly know the presence of Jesus if you look to Him and ask Him to forgive your sins. Billy Graham once received a letter from a radio listener who'd been crippled for five years by arthritis, unable to stretch or lie down. She wrote, "I have spent many a day alone, but never a lonely day." Why? Jesus Christ made all the difference!

May I wish you a truly happy and joyful Christmas and New Year!


Pastor Peter Bines



 Summerstown Mission Evangelical Church
Blackshaw Road, London, SW17 0BY Tel: 020 8944 7229
Pastor: Peter Bines Tel: 020 8684 5241 email: peter@smec.org.uk
London City Missionary: Graham Jones Tel: 020 8682 2978
www.smec.org.uk email: enquiries@smec.org.uk
The small print: Summerstown Mission photo copyright Lee Sanders, Mud photo copyright www.glamgreats.com, "Alone in the station with strangers" copyright Feuillu / Pierre Metivier (www.flickr.com/people/feuilllu/) - used in accordance with Creative Commons Licence Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic.